I've tried. Really. Tried to watch the anime, tried to read the manga, tried very hard to figure out why it was popular, and why it still has a loyal fan base.

I understand that it combined two gender-split genres (Magical Girl and Sentai) and thus appeals to a broader audience, and that there is a heavy load of nostalgia and history involved since Sailor Moon was many people's first introduction to anime.

What is the appeal?
It's certainly not the story, which is as dull and tired as they come, with deus ex machina being the primary motivator.
It can't be the battles, which almost always boil down to "Oh no, we're in trouble, throw something at them."
The characters? The one-dimensional characters that even at two of them seemed to be too many?

At this point, I can only think that it's either the semi-nude transformation sequences, or some sort of pseudo-ironic worship of Tuxedo Mask.

In some ways, I feel bad for Naoko Takeuchi, because her popularity far exceeded her talent. She tried again and again after Sailor Moon to make a good manga, but they were so poorly received (because there were no toymakers supporting her) that she went into a deep, dark depression.

>>102304632>flashing lights>entirety of battle consists of standing still and yelling about having indistinct faith>weird flashback sequence including girl giving advice that even if they already have a girlfriend, you should still go for it

If it wasn't for that moment when the music gets cool when all those hands are grabbing that rod, or that brief flash of tsundere Mars, it's still pretty terrible.